Boys and periods - what do you say????

[Shimmy21]

My ds1 (8) recently found a pack of my tampons and asked what they were. I was completely flummoxed and hummed and haahed and changed the subject - not sure why. He has a basic understanding of how babies are made and telling him that embarrassed me far less than this. When and how do people tell boys about menstruation. Or should it still be a big girly mystery???

My DS's (7 and 4) are fully clued up. I just explained that each month if a lady doesn't have a baby growing in her tummy she has bleeding from her winky. Works for us. I think, and this is just my personal opinion, that it's a natural thing - they are curious and it's an honest answer. Also explains why mummy slams doors and eats piles of chocolate once a month

LOL bubble at the slamming doors and choc once a month!!!!!!!!! That's very funny.

I'm a bit worried I suppose that they'd be too interested. The mention of blood would be enough to make both my dss completely fascinated.

Mind you being able to explain why once a month I start getting weepy watching the Tweenies and snap a lot has its advantages...

I've done this in PSHCE (Personal Social Health & Citizenship Education) with several groups of 11 year olds.

My experience is that the boys are fascinated by periods - but in quite a nice, respectful way. Girls on the other hand think the whole notion of wet dreams is hilarious!

I'd just be as matter of fact as you can with ds? Just answer his questions without making a production out of it?

Shimmy, they'll be fascinated for a while but then it will become completely normal to them. Come on sistas! Let's raise some enlightened men, your future daughters-in-law (if you have them) will thank you

Carrie, had to smile at 'PSHCE' ... when I was at Uni it was PSE (Personal Social Education). A couple of years into my teaching career it was PSHE (Personal Social Health Education) and now it is PSHCE????? In 11 short years .....
What next???
Sorry to hijack, opened this thread to arm myself for the inevitable when DS asks me a similar question re. periods.....

i say I bleed os thta mummy knwos she isnt havng another baby

and we were "phse" three years a go

thois is why I left teaching!

that and IT changing to " ICT" whislt I was on maternity leave
dh ( works in IT) says it is meanignless

Mini hijack too but what about Computer Literacy/Information Technology being CLAIT, because the alternative acronym is too rude! I haven't explained periods to my 7yo ds, it just hasn't cropped up, not particularly deliberately.

I say almost exactly the same as Cod.

Something along the lines of " Mummy has a bad belly every month and it means there isn't another baby in there"

when i explained it to my kids they were more worried that blood = pain and misery. and they were a little concerned concerned too for their sister (ahhhh). But i told them it was completely normal and every woman has periods. cant remember mentioning babies - i think i just said once a month women bleed from their vagina - all women go through it at some stage.

I agree with custardo. Useful to point out that the bleeding doesn't hurt. Well, obviously menstrual cramps hurt, but the bleeding doesn't hurt in the way that a cut would. My boys are so used to seeing tampons and pads etc. in the loo it doesn't faze them in the slightest.
LOL sallystrawberry at the 'Santa' thing. Last year the tooth fairy got squiffy and forgot to leave money under DS 1's pillow. Unreliable cow!
Luckily DH managed to 'find' where she'd left it.